Tom Danley Signature Series HRE1 4,400-watt 4-way Powered Loudspeaker

[Purité Audio]

Non, Mr. Purite. I heard them in several good rooms over many visits to the Danley HQ, and I used to own Tom's older "little" USA horns.

I now have owned SH-50's (sound unheard when purchased) for 10 years, and I was impressed with the sound of those little horns on top of the subwoofer portion (45 Hz. on up). I also owned 20 (still have 4) of his TD-1 Unity Aperture Summation Conical Horns, which also never suffered from honk.

Like Music Critics without any "skin in the game," unqualified OPINIONS have little value for those who seek Sonic Nirvana with their Cash.

I am actually a ‘oui’ not a ‘non’ Iain Mackie was kind enough to lend me a pair for a few months they are awesome undoubtedly the best horns I have heard.
A bit of product design wouldn’t go amiss though, if you look at the renderings when they were called ‘Hyperion’.
Keith

 

[Purité Audio]

Probably the only competitor to this speaker
But costs way more View attachment 402227

About the same.
Keith

 

[Purité Audio]

Veils didn't drop for me either, but when I heard them they were probably to close together in a small room. If you want loud in a large room the options are much more limited, but if you don't there was nothing* special about these, in my opinion.

* The bottom end was great, as you should expect from such a large box.

I remember you thought they sounded like PA speakers, which of course they are in some respects.
Keith

 

[JustJones]

When I win the lottery and get a mansion with a listening room the size of a ballroom then these go on the list of possible along with Pearljam5000 favorite Genelec 8381A.

 

[holdingpants01]

Probably the only competitor to this speaker
But costs way more View attachment 402227

not really, they may look similar but 8381 is cardioid so meant to be freestanding and to get the best of the Danley you'll need to flush mount them. So actually Genelec mains or ATC mains are closer in terms of real world usage

 

[ClaudeJ1]

Probably the only competitor to this speaker
But costs way more View attachment 402227

Looks like they copied one of Tom Danley's early designs from 22 years ago on the top, since the Patents ran out. Also, it looks like these things are PASSIVE which, at $64,000 for pair is less performance for more money.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

I remember you thought they sounded like PA speakers, which of course they are in some respects.
Keith

It's actually the other way around. They are PA speakers that sound like home speakers. I know Tom Danley well enough to know that his goal was to have PA and Home sound have the same FIDELITY and be scalable from Restaurants to Stadiums. He did the sound for the Disney Star Wars display at Epcot and everything in between. He has never deviated from trying to create the Emotional impact of Music, no matter where his speakers are heard or what size they are in proportion to the venue.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

About the same.
Keith

They don't mention AMPLIFIERS, so even without amps they are way more money.

 

[ClaudeJ1]

I am actually a ‘oui’ not a ‘non’ Iain Mackie was kind enough to lend me a pair for a few months they are awesome undoubtedly the best horns I have heard.
A bit of product design wouldn’t go amiss though, if you look at the renderings when they were called ‘Hyperion’.
Keith

Form Follows Function. They are small for the power and resolution they have. If looks are an issue, White Paint will make the Disappear in most homes with white walls. My SH-50's are White, so I know you may order the Hyperions that way.

 

[JustJones]

8381A are about $65,000 a pair including

The 8381A is shipped in a plywood-covered pallet containing the top and bottom enclosures (both needed for one complete unit), two individually calibrated RAM-81 amplifier units and an accessory kit, including incliner wedges to optimise the vertical acoustic axis.
– Quick Setup Guide with link to product website and documents, including the Operating Manual.
– 9320A SAM™ Reference Controller and GLM software access.

 

[Pearljam5000]

Looks like they copied one of Tom Danley's early designs from 22 years ago on the top, since the Patents ran out. Also, it looks like these things are PASSIVE which, at $64,000 for pair is less performance for more money.

They're fully active

 

[Purité Audio]

Form Follows Function. They are small for the power and resolution they have. If looks are an issue, White Paint will make the Disappear in most homes with white walls. My SH-50's are White, so I know you may order the Hyperions that way.

Disappear ! hardly, the promise,

The reality,

Despite that I really like them I hadn’t heard an uncoloured horn until the HRE’s turned up.
Keith

 

[YSDR]

Danley's Synergy Horns don't suffer from your UNHEARD prejudice. They sound more like Quad ESL's with DYNAMICS and high output. Your comment made no FACTUAL contributions to the topic. Maybe.

My comment may not have contributed factually to the topic, but the same can be said about your fan-like opinion regarding the sound of speakers.
And yes, I heard the HRE1 too, it's "just" a horn and a dull sounding compression driver with their "claustrophobic" presentation. That's my opinion. Of course it can play really loud.

 

[fordiebianco]

Never trust someone who applies unnecessary capitalisation.

 

[Soniclife]

I remember you thought they sounded like PA speakers, which of course they are in some respects.
Keith

Sounds like something I would say as a joke. In truth I don't know what PA speakers sound like, some of the best sound I've heard was through PAs, and some of the worst.

 

[Soniclife]

not really, they may look similar but 8381 is cardioid so meant to be freestanding and to get the best of the Danley you'll need to flush mount them. So actually Genelec mains or ATC mains are closer in terms of real world usage

Have they moved the bass drivers to the front baffle?

 

[holdingpants01]

Have they moved the bass drivers to the front baffle?

Supposedly so, their website is not working and their PR is close to non-existent, I saw a few different iterations there so who knows what and if is even shipping

 

[voodooless]

I saw a few different iterations there so who knows

Their website shows 2 versions. Here:

If you click on it:

Then this link [tomdanley.com] doesn't work, but the internet archive shows the version with the 2 front woofers.

 

[holdingpants01]

Their website shows 2 versions. Here:

View attachment 402239

If you click on it:
View attachment 402240

Then this link [tomdanley.com] doesn't work, but the internet archive shows the version with the 2 front woofers.

Right, but after clicking the first image with 2 front woofers all other photos show side woofers, so they may be two versions, or either one

 

[Pearljam5000]

What's this one?